Many deregulated public charter schools in California and other states are emphasizing
parent involvement in the process of reform. Some even seem to be working
from a communitarian model, trying to build an integral school community in
which parents play numerous roles in the ongoing events of the school and classroom
day. In order to build this parent involvement, California charter schools are also
experimenting with a variety of mechanisms for encouraging parent involvement,
including having parents sign agreements or “contracts" promising a certain
amount or type of involvement. But to what extent are the initiators of these charter
schools using parent involvement and parent contracts to restrict enrollment to children
whose parents demonstrate the desired commitments and willingness to meet
school expectations? In order to explore this question, this article reports on (1)
analyses of data from a survey of California’s charter schools and comparison
schools in the same communities and (2) an examination of parent contracts in use
at the charter schools. We find that charter schools do have greater levels of parent
involvement, but that this involvement may be due to selectivity in the kinds of families
participating in charter schools.

To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropropriate membership. Please review your options below:

Sign-in

Email:

Password:

Store a cookie on my computer that will allow me to skip this sign-in in the future.

Purchase Parent Involvement Contracts in California's Charter Schools: Strategy for Educational Improvement or Method of ExclusionIndividual-Resource passes allow you to purchase access to resources one resource at a time. There are no recurring fees.

$12

Become a Member

Online AccessWith this membership you receive online access to all of TCRecord's content. The introductory rate of $25 is available for a limited time.

$25

Print and Online AccessWith this membership you receive the print journal and free online access to all of TCRecord's content.